Memories
by Falcon97
Summary: A one-shot fanfic which takes place several decades into the future of Araluen, rated K but be warned! 'Tis angsty...


**I haven't written a fanfic for ages on , this was because I couldn't log onto my account for some strange reason, the page just wouldn't load *mutters angrily* **

**Anyway, this is my fanfic which I wrote a few months back, it's a one-shot and quite sad...*sniffle* so be warned those who have an aversion to angsty stuff.**

**Oh yeah, all characters from the RA series belong to the fabulous author John Flanagan etc. etc.**

(**And remember to review peoples!)**

* * *

_Gilan and Will laughed as they watched their children racing each other across the open meadow. Their wives: Jenny and Alyss stood nearby talking to one another and watching their children proudly._

_Gilan and Jenny's eldest, a son called David raced over to his father panting, 'Did you see my Daddy?' he giggled, breathless, 'I beat Daniel!'_

'_You did not,' squawked Will and Alyss' son, ' I beat you!'_

_Gilan and Will exchanged a glance, grinning at each other._

'_Well one thing is for certain,' chuckled Will to his son, 'Evanlyn beat you both!'_

_He looked up at his daughter, Daniel's twin as she bounded over to her father, like her Dad she had brown hair and brown eyes, and shared her father's approach to life. Will had a feeling that she was destined to be a Ranger._

'_Will! Gilan!' called Alyss waving to attract their attention, 'Horace and Cassandra are here!'_

_Gilan grinned at his friend and fellow Ranger, 'Race you?'_

_The two men with their three children close behind them ran across the field in the direction of the castle, laughing as they went._

* * *

A lone woman stood by a newly turned-over mound of earth. It was a spring day, the sun beat down and across the meadow wild flowers nodded their colourful heads in the slight, cool breeze and stired the branches of the old oak tree, which covered the ground surrounding the grave.

The woman pulled her cloak more tightly around her shoulders and shivered briefly, her gaze moving from the grave to the view over the field for a moment before returning to it. She smiled wistfully, a single tear trickled out of one of her grey eyes and slide down her wrinkled cheek. Despite being old she still possessed a certain grace of movement along with a faded prettiness which hung about her.

Stiffly, she bent down and placed a bunch of fresh, spring flowers on the grave, pausing for a moment with her eyes closed, then slowly straightened back up again, tucking a strand of white hair behind her ear as she did so.

For a moment she stood there, lost in thought. Gazing at the grave without really seeing it, her expression distant and faraway.

The dappled shadows cast over the grave from the tall oak tree danced as a stray, stronger gust of wind blew along and sent the woman's cloak streaming out behind her. She smiled and closed her eyes, which glinted with unshed tears, and succumbed to the memories of the past.

* * *

'_Higher, Daddy higher!_

_Will threw his daughter in the air, catching her as she came back down, laughing at the expression of joy and delight on her face._

_Halt and his wife Pauline both watched Will and his second daughter playing, fond smiles touching their faces._

'_She's just like him,' said Halt softly._

_Pauline glanced at her husband; his salt and pepper hair had faded to a white over the years, the wrinkles had also deepened around his eyes, around his throat was a gold oakleaf, which he was now fingering distractedly._

_Pauline smiled softly, gently placing a hand over her husband's. It had been a hard decision but Halt had realised that he was no longer as young as he once was and had decided to resign his position as a Ranger…_

_Alyss watched the byplay between the couple at a distance for a few moments before slowly walking over and sinking down to the ground next to them both. In her arms she held her and Will's fifth and last child: Halt._

_Halt smiled and gently took his "grandson" into his arms. 'He'll make a fine Ranger some day,' he said softly, as Halt wrapped his small, baby fingers around Halt's thumb._

_'Naturally,' smiled Alyss, 'After all he is named after the finest Ranger that ever was...'_

_Halt smiled again, 'Maybe not _quite_ the finest Ranger,' he said softly, just loud enough for Alyss to hear him looking over at Will._

* * *

The woman opened her eyes and sighed, moving on to look at another, older grave, which was next to the newer one.

She smiled, she felt no sadness looking at it, only a sense of happiness at the life that had once been.

Halt had died quietly in his sleep many years ago, not long after his wife had died in fact.

His death was lamented over Araluen, his close friends had been preparing themselves for it, but it had still been a shock all the same, a shock in particular for Will, loosing Halt was equal to loosing a father for him.

Though the grizzled Ranger was gone, he was not forgotten.

Not by Gilan and his wife Jenny, both who now had three sons and a daughter along with several grandchildren. Not by Queen Cassandra and Regent Prince Horace: mother and father of a son and two daughters, one of whom was a Ranger. Not by anyone who had once known him….

Crowley too had died some time after Halt, having his best friend die was hard for anyone, for Crowley it was no exception, his wife had been sad to see him go but accepted it, but it had still been hard, loosing so many old friends who had always been there...

Alyss moved on, gently placing a hand on the tombstone which marked the place of her mentor Pauline, before turning and walking off in the direction of Redmont Castle where her children and grandchildren were waiting for her.

As she walked off, she glanced behind her for one last time.

A beam of sunlight broke through the dense foliage of the oak tree and illuminated the writing on the first tombstone which bore the inscription:

_Will Treaty,_

_Beloved Husband,_

_Father and_

_Grandfather._

_Apprentice to One and Hero to All._

* * *

**So...whadiya think? **_  
_

**Review and tell me!**

**Just simply press that button at the bottom of the page and type in what you thought (please don't flame me _to_ much if you didn't like it ;-) )**


End file.
